by Board Retailers Association | Mar 16, 2020 | Corona Virus, Industry, News, Retail Strategy, Skateboard, Snowboard, Statistics, SUP, Surf, Wakeboard
Please click on the following link to view this informative Shop Eat Surf Article: Updated: Store Closures Mount, Independents Get Creative Be sure to visit the Shop Eat Surf website to view valuable Industry News and Resourceful Articles regularly via this link: Shop Eat...
by Board Retailers Association | Feb 27, 2020 | News, Resources, Skateboard, Statistics
Julian Jeang-Agliardi jumps a ramp at Vans Off the Wall Skate Park on May 9 in Huntington Beach (Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times)By LA Times CITY NEWS SERVICE February 26, 2020 USC researchers have found multiple benefits in skateboarding, ranging from mental health to education and careers, the university announced Wednesday. A first-of-its-kind study of skateboarding culture found the sport improves mental health, fosters community and encourages diversity and resilience, according to USC. The study, conducted by the Pullias Center for Higher Education at USC’s Rossier School of Education and USC’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, also indicated that gender and race matter in the skateboarding community. “Skateboarding is embedded in youth culture today,” said skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, whose Tony Hawk Foundation funded the study. “Until now, little attention has been directed toward truly understanding who skateboarders are, what they think or why skateboarding becomes such an integral part of their identity. We at the Tony Hawk Foundation are proud to have sponsored this work in order to highlight these young people.” Researchers created a survey that targeted 13- to 25-year-olds and received more than 5,000 responses, including a significant number from skaters who identified as female and/or as a person of color. Interviews also were conducted with 120 skaters and skate community stakeholders in seven cities across the U.S. The findings fly in the face of commonly held misconceptions around skateboarding culture, according to the Pullias Center’s Zoe Corwin, the study’s principal investigator. “Skateboarders are prone to being labeled by society as rebels, social deviants or rule-breakers,” Corwin said. “Stereotyping masks an array of valuable skills obtained through skateboarding....
by Board Retailers Association | Feb 16, 2020 | Industry, Internet, Retail Strategy, Statistics
By Austan Goolsbee Published Feb. 13, 2020 It has been a tough decade for brick-and-mortar retailers, and matters seem only to be getting worse. Despite a strong consumer economy, physical retailers closed more than 9,000 stores in 2019 — more than the total in 2018, which surpassed the record of 2017. Already this year, retailers have announced more than 1,200 more intended closings, including 125 Macy’s stores. Some people call what has happened to the shopping landscape “the retail apocalypse.” It is easy to chalk it up to the rise of e-commerce, which has thrived while physical stores struggle. And there is no denying that Amazon and other online retailers have changed consumer behavior radically or that big retailers like Walmart and Target have tried to beef up their own online presence. But this can be overstated. To begin with, while e-commerce is growing sharply, it may not be nearly as big as you think. The Census Bureau keeps official track. Online sales have grown tremendously in the last 20 years, rising from $5 billion per quarter to almost $155 billion per quarter. But internet shopping still represents only 11 percent of the entire retail sales total. Furthermore, more than 70 percent of retail spending in the United States is in categories that have had slow encroachment from the internet, either because of the nature of the product or because of laws or regulations that govern distribution. This includes spending on automobiles, gasoline, home improvement and garden supplies, drugs and pharmacy, food and drink. Collectively, three major economic forces have had an even bigger impact on brick-and-mortar retail than the internet has. In no particular order, here they are: Big Box Stores: In the...
by Board Retailers Association | Jan 28, 2020 | Associate Members, Industry, Resources, Statistics
Please click on the following link to view this excellent Shop Eat Surf Article: Brands that Won at Core Stores in 2019 Please note that this particular article is a Shop Eat Surf Executive Edition article so you will need to sign up and pay for access before viewing. We, at BRA, feel that the benefits of the Executive Edition Membership clearly outweigh the cost. Be sure to visit the Shop Eat Surf website to view valuable Industry News and Resourceful Articles regularly via this link: Shop Eat...
